The last game before the All-Star Break, especially for a team out of playoff contention, can become an early vacation. It’s only human nature.

The Grizzlies could have packed it in after going down by 20 to the star-studded Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, they fought back to within a single point in the final minute until a three-pointer from Carmelo Anthony finally brought the curtains down.

Marc Gasol had a team-high nine assists. Tyreke Evans made an unexpected post-trade-deadline return to FedExForum with a characteristic 23-9-7 line. Chandler Parsons even appeared for the first time in 2018.

But most impressive on the night were a couple of players who weren’t even supposed to be there.

At the start of training camp last year, Andrew Harrison seemed stuck between Mario Chalmers’ present and Wade Baldwin’s future. There was one reserve point guard too many and Harrison seemed likely to go.

If Harrison’s exit seemed likely at one point, Jarell Martin’s seemed mere formality. He was coming off a terrible second season and a mediocre summer league into a team that had just added two rookies at his position (Ivan Rabb and Rade Zagorac) on guaranteed contracts. Martin was showcasing for his next employer.

Instead, Harrison and Martin fought for their jobs and the Grizzlies made a tough choice, cutting bait on their most recent first-round pick (Baldwin) and a player they’d just signed to a multi-year deal (Zagorac).

Midway through a season gone wrong, Harrison and Martin are still fighting.

Against OKC, Martin punished the rim on baseline drives early and stepped up late: He crossed over Thunder center Steven Adams and pulled up for an 18-footer. He blocked an Anthony three-pointer, if not the eventual game winner. He finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.

Harrison got his money’s worth that night, leaving the floor with a career-high 28 points, a perfect 5-5 from three-point range, six fouls, and two technicals. In the final four minutes, he twice followed a Thunder three-pointer with one of his own.

This season still has a few more miles to go before it sleeps, but in this extended audition, Harrison is making a strong case for being in the team’s rotation plans next season. Martin may still be on the bubble pending what the rookie draft turns up, but he’s helping himself.

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Harrison played heavy minutes as a rookie last season and impressed with poise and defensive versatility. But he just could not score. No player with as many attempts, anywhere in the NBA, shot worse than Harrison’s 32 percent from the floor. His 27 percent from three-point range was only slightly more acceptable.

This season, Harrison’s accuracy has taken a leap, up to 42 percent from the floor and, perhaps most importantly, 36 percent from three-point range. Another little step forward and Harrison might last a decade or more in this league.

Andrew Harrison shooting 36% from deep is starting to get interesting for Memphis.

Harrison has improved as a shooter and finisher all over the floor, but it seems like his improvements at the rim (55 percent shooting, up 10 points from last season) have allowed him to be more selective from long range, which now make up a smaller percentage of his attempts.

Harrison’s toughness and intangibles have always purchased a longer leash from his coaches. Even amid struggles, he’s had a way of working his way into the mix. He plays with a moxie and chippiness that wins you over. But now that’s he making shots, he’s becoming a real player.

Martin had his rookie season marred by foot problems, but showed enough promise late in that campaign that the Grizzlies could hope he would be the power forward of the future. Those hopes deflated when Martin regressed badly last season.

In a precarious year three, he seems to finally be putting some things together. He’s shooting nearly 60 percent at the rim after struggling badly to finish last season, and he’s showing signs of being a three-point threat, especially from the corners, where Martin’s made 17-42 over the past two seasons. A small sample, but a promising one.

Martin is a highlight-reel player whose rim attacks are among the most ferocious ever seen in a Grizzlies uniform. He’s great in transition, on follow dunks, and when he can find a clear path to the basket. But his limitations as a ball-handler and post player hold him back as a halfcourt scorer.

If Martin can become a more consistent three-point threat from the corners, it could transform his offensive game. If defenders have to close out on his shot, Martin can be devastating on baseline drives.

His rebounding remains a disappointment given his athletic gifts and his halfcourt defense remains a work in progress. But for the first time, really, a path is emerging for Martin. As a basketball late bloomer, he’s needed time and has already played more minutes in this third year than he did in his first and second combined.

Even now, Harrison and Martin might be considered low on the potential pecking order among the Grizzlies’ underclassmen. Wayne Selden looks more like a potential starter. Deyonta Davis’ game fits his position better. But, at some point, potential has to become production. Harrison is proving himself. Martin, at the least, is earning extra opportunity.

Question of the Week: What's the Free Agent Market for Tyreke Evans this Summer?

The Grizzlies ultimately chose not to trade Tyreke Evans last week because they valued the advantage keeping him now would give them in trying to sign him again this summer more than they valued the meager return Evans was fetching on the trade market.

This clear intent to try to bring Evans back means that the Grizzlies think Evans would return to Memphis for the mid-level exception (north of $8.5 million), the maximum the team can offer. That would mean Evans not only choosing Memphis over other comparable offers, but, presumably, not getting offers this summer for more (or at least not substantially more).

How might the market play out? A lot can change between now and July’s free agency. But because the Grizzlies made this decision now, it means they’ve likely made an internal market calculation about what kind of offers Evans might get, and from whom. Let’s take an early guess ourselves.

Cap space projections at the moment are subject to great change: How the draft lottery shakes out, unforeseen trades, what options are picked up or declined, and which free agents are renounced or switch teams, thus altering the financial situations of the teams they’re leaving or going to.

Given what the Sacramento Kings did last season in spending big on veterans, you can’t totally rule out anybody, but some of these teams seem unlikely. Evans is a win-now kind of signing, and I’d tend to rule out rebuilders in Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix as destinations. Evans has already had his go-around in Sacramento and I’d doubt there’d be much interest either way in a return.

Brooklyn is likely to have the least cap space in this group and won’t want to tie up long-term money in a player like Evans. Scratch them.

I wouldn’t rule the Bulls out, but if they’re going to pony up to bring back guard Zach Lavine, a restricted free agent, I’d be surprised to see them spend on Evans.

Indiana is hard to read because they have so many players on various options and non-guaranteed deals. But their best player (Victor Oladipo) is a scoring guard and their free agent focus is likely to be at small forward and/or point guard. Would they consider Evans the latter?

The Lakers aren’t going to tie up considerable multi-year money in Evans. If their preferred targets aren’t obtainable this summer, they may decide to fill the roster with some one-year contracts and roll their cap space over to 2019. They’ve still got time before worrying about extensions for Brandon Ingram or Lonzo Ball. Could they turn to Evans for a big one-year deal? My guess is that one-year offers would need to be pretty big for Evans to forgo larger guaranteed amounts on a multi-year deal.

Philadelphia? They apparently showed interest at the trade deadline, are ready to compete, and could use more shot creation and shooting on the perimeter. If they decide to part ways with free agent J.J. Redick, I could see Evans being a target.

So, I’d guess the number of suitors for Evans at above the MLE this summer is fairly small. It might be as small as zero. But it only takes one.

What if Evans does end up signing for the MLE? I'd call this outcome a coin flip proposition at this point, and here are teams that I’d project as likely to have full MLE access: Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz.

Now we’re talking. I’d consider the Magic and Jazz unlikely, but the rest could all make sense, maybe especially Detroit, which will be in severe win-now mode and will need perimeter help. There are bigger markets (New York) and clearer paths to winning (Minnesota). Not all of these teams would offer, but I’d bet at least a few would. The Grizzlies could now offer a chance to opt out into a significant raise if Evans has a big season, something no other MLE team can give. And if Evans is as happy here as has been suggested, there would be a non-contractual homecourt advantage.

Will it happen? We’ll revisit this summer.

The Pick-and-Poll

It's All-Star Weekend and the Grizzlies will be represented by Dillon Brooks in today's "Rising Stars" rookie/sophomore challenge. For this week's poll, I doubled up with a couple of questions about a Grizzlies-centric All-Star Weekend of the mind's design:

The Pick-and-Poll (Part 1): Who would win the Historical Memphis Grizzlies Dunk Contest?

All of these were meant to be the players during their Grizzlies tenure. Some may have been confused by my insertion of "Old" in front of Vince Carter. I wanted to underscore that I wasn't talking about Toronto Dunk Contest Vince, but the This is 40 Beale Street Blue Vince. At least a couple of people took it the wrong way.

Perhaps that influenced the vote, but I think it's a defensible vote anyway. Vince could still throw down as a Grizzly -- I remember him tomahawking on Rudy Gobert -- and star power/sentimentality/storyline would probably give him a boost with the judges.

The three-point shootout is a stronger field, oddly, given the Grizzlies' reputation as a long-time poor shooting team. Mike Miller is a strong and deserving winner here, and probably the right pick, though I think Troy Daniels may be nearly as pure. Very underrated on this front is Wesley Person, who trails only Miller on the Grizzlies career three-point shooting percentage list. I had a couple of people say that Juan Carlos Navarro should have made the cut here, but Person was the better shooter during his Grizzlies stint than Navarro, who shot 36 percent from deep in his lone season. Person was also underrated aesthetically. I can still see one of those rainbows arching down toward the rim at the Pyramid.

Clip of the Week

Speaking of All-Star Weekend, does anybody remember when they tried to incorporate H-O-R-S-E? O.J. Mayo represented the Grizzlies. It was a good idea that was poorly executed. I'd like to see that brought back. And in a no-dunks-allowed H-O-R-S-E game, I think Marc Gasol would be a contender. This little lefty baseline layup off glass is just the kind of no-athleticism-or-range-required trickery I'd try to bust out in such a setting.

Listen Up

Hey, Pick-and-Popcast is back, baby. Two weeks in a row. This time, Chris Vernon from the Grizzlies/The Ringer sat in to talk about Chandler Parsons, Tyreke Evans, the draft, and more. Will we make it three in a row next week? Check back next week to find out. Until this, if you missed this week's Pick-and-Popcast, here you go:

Arena Action

With no playoffs to plan for, the Grizzlies' bravura game ops staff doesn't have as grand a stage to showcase themselves this season. A Valentine's night game against OKC may have been their best remaining opportunity to show their stuff, and they came strong, evoking professional wrestling and soap opera (what's the difference, right?) with this mascot masterpiece:

Tweet of the Week

Lost in the drama over Tyreke Evans' non-trade last week was the Grizzlies less-surprising decision to deal forward James Ennis. The Grizzlies would have had "Early Bird" rights on Ennis, which should have been more than enough to bring him back. (The bet here is that Ennis is in line for a small raise on this summer's free agent market.) Given the dearth of wings with size -- true small forwards -- and veteran players on the current roster, I think the Grizzlies should have left the door open a little wider for Ennis' return this summer. He's helped Detroit so far, scoring in double figures in two of three games since joining the team. Back at ya, James:

Thank you Memphis for everything also to all to the staff and coaches I appreciate it. I learned a lot as a player and became a better person wish nothing but the best for y'all !Thanks you fans for the support ✊🏾